This invention relates generally to medical appliances to facilitate an inspection of the larynx and a diagnosis of its condition, and more particularly to a tongue depressor and throat viewing assembly for this purpose.
The larynx is a cartilagenous organ in the throat containing the vocal chords. It is shaped generally like a tube that is wide at the top and narrower at its lower portion where the larynx joins the trachea. Associated with the larynx is the epiglottis, a valve-like structure at the base of the tongue. The epiglottis is a leaf-shaped member formed of elastic cartilage that projects backward over the tongue during swallowing. It acts like a lid to prevent food from invading this organ. In order therefore to be able to view and examine the larynx, the epiglottis must be lifted.
Inasmuch as an assembly in accordance with the invention includes a blade for depressing the tongue to expose the larynx and a light source associated with the blade to illuminate the exposed larynx, of prior art interest is a laryngoscope, such. as the instrument disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,314,551 to Kadell.
The function of a laryngoscope is to expose the larynx of an anaesthetized patient in order to be able to inject a tube into the trachea a procedure known as a endotrachael incubation. In the Kadell laryngoscope, extending from a handgrip is a blade for depressing the tongue, a light bulb being mounted on the blade to project a beam of light toward its forward end. This bulb is powered by a battery contained in the hand grip.
A larynx is subject to various disorders, among which is laryngitis, an inflammation of the larynx often occurring as a complication of other inflammatory diseases of the upper respiratory system. Diphtheria is a disease marked by the formation of a false membrane in the throat which can cause severe respiratory difficulties, Benign tumors in the larynx are not uncommon, nor are the more serious cancers of the larynx.
In order for a physician to be able to diagnose a larynx disorder, he must be able to clearly view its inflammatory state as well as the presence of polyps, ulcers and nodules or whatever other abnormal conditions are symptomatic of the disease suffered by the patient.
A doctor, by means of a tongue depressor, can expose the larynx and then illuminate the exposed larynx so that it can be inspected and its condition diagnosed. The difficulty experienced with standard clinical procedures for larynx examination is that to conduct this examination, one must first induce in the patient a gag reflex causing the throat to dilate to fully expose the larynx to view. But this exposure period is very brief and does not allow an examining physician sufficient time to adequately inspect the larynx.
Thus many larynx infections result in the production of pus, a whitish fluid formed by suppuration and composed of exudate that includes white blood cells and tissue debris. The presence of whitish pus on the surface of the larynx may be indicative of a serious infection, yet in the brief gag reflex period during which the larynx is exposed to view, the pus may escape the attention of the examining physician and therefore result in an incorrect diagnosis.
While some abnormalities deform the structure of the larynx, these deformations may not show up in the brief period of larynx exposure. Because a doctor cannot in a single gag reflex period induced in a patient make an adequate inspection of the larynx, in many cases he will subject his patient to a succession of gag reflexes, in each one of which, the patient seeks to vomit. This is an ordeal that is hard for a patient to tolerate even more so when the patient is a child who may refuse to undergo this experience. Yet the ability of a physician to make a proper larynx examination is hampered when the physician is unable to do more than just glance at the larynx.
Moreover, in modem medicine, a physician is called upon to go well beyond a diagnosis of a disorder and a prescribed treatment therefor. It is important that the physician make a detailed account of his examination, diagnosis and prescribed treatment, for this record makes it possible to evaluate the effectiveness of the treatment. By making a record of the initial examination and diagnosis of the patient""s condition, the record can later be compared with records subsequently made in the course of treatment. This comparison indicates the progress made by the patient, or the lack of progress. When it becomes advisable for a patient to consult a specialist in regard to his condition, records made of prior examination and treatment can then be made available to the specialist.
Records regarding a particular patient undergoing treatment are best stored digitally in the database or memory of a computer, for then these records are transmittable via an Internet highway to web sites and E-mail addresses of health care organizations, physicians and others who need to be informed of the patient""s condition and treatment. Present methods for maintaining records regarding patients suffering from larynx disorders do not readily lend themselves to computer processing nor to Internet transmission.
In view of the foregoing, the main object of this invention is to provide a tongue depressor and throat viewing assembly which makes it possible to fully expose and illuminate the larynx of a subject and to obtain a digital image thereof that can be exhibited stored and transmitted.
More particularly, an object of his invention is to provide an assembly of the above type in which the digital image signal yielded by the assembly is conveyed to a computer monitor station at which the image is exhibited on a screen, and is there recorded and stored to produce a record that can be transmitted by Internet to other sites, or otherwise made available to doctors.
A significant advantage of an assembly in accordance with the invention is that it makes it possible to obtain an image of the larynx and to record the image produced when the larynx is fully exposed as a result of a gag reflex induced by the tongue depressor, the assembly taking, as it were, a single picture which is an enlarged view of the larynx revealing all aspects of its condition. This picture can be studied by the doctor for as long as it is necessary to make a proper diagnosis.
Also an object of the invention is to provide an assembly constituted by a disposable, low cost blade and a light source and viewer unit attachable to the blade, the unit being formed of commercially-available components that are relatively inexpensive.
Briefly stated, these objects are attained in a tongue depressor and throat viewing assembly which includes a disposable flat blade for depressing the tongue of a subject in order to expose his larynx for inspection so that its condition can be diagnosed. Adhered to the blade adjacent its leading end is a temperature-sensitive chromatic sticker which assumes a color indicative of the temperature in the region of the larynx.
Attachable to the trailing end of the blade is a light source and throat viewer unit which projects a light beam to illuminate the exposed larynx and which obtains a digital image thereof and of the sticker, these being conveyed to an external display or to a computer monitor station. At this station, the image is exhibited on a screen, and is stored in a database for future use.